


Small acts of kindness

by J_animelover6



Series: Anecdotes of the lives of child soldiers [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Gift Giving, Kindness, Orphanage, Orphans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:15:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29204973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_animelover6/pseuds/J_animelover6
Summary: Haruno Sakura's parents weren't rich, in fact, they barely managed to stay afloat. And as the saying goes, those that have less give more. At first, Sakura doesn't understand why they go to the orphanage district every week, she hates it, but as time goes by she begins to understand what small acts of kindness can mean for someone.
Relationships: Haruno Kizashi & Haruno Mebuki & Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura & Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Anecdotes of the lives of child soldiers [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924894
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Small acts of kindness

"It is important that we go, you going to your friend's house to stare at a box isn't," Mebuki stated in a firm tone. Sakura pouted but didn't say anything more, her mom was wearing her _no arguing_ face. Not that Sakura was an argumentive child. The kids down the road often teased her for being a goody-two-shoes and always doing what her parents told her. Even though most of the time she did not like it. 

'Takara will be so upset with me that I can't come over! And then she won't let me play on the monkey bars anymore as she did to Momojiji from up the road.' She whined to herself and suppressed the urge to scream and throw a tantrum. 

Minatozaki Takara was the only child to a well off spice and silk merchant and a high-ranking Chunin that specialised in Genjutsu and poisons. Of course, Sakura being only five years old did not know or care about the most popular girl on the playground's breeding. The only thing she was interested in was that Takara had the prettiest dresses she had ever seen, the silkiest ribbons and more toys that Sakura could count, which was rather high - up to fifty! And oh her dolls! How Sakura envied the other girl's dolls. She had seven and they all had delicately painted porcelain faces, feet and hands and a plush body and pin-straight black or brown hair that could be brushed and styled. Each one of them was finely dressed in satins and cotton, they all had an extensive wardrobe ranging from laced nightgowns to royal blue kimonos with a matching _wagasa._ The tiny umbrellas had even hand-painted designs of flower petals or swirling golden patterns on them. Though, the thing Sakura was most jealous about was the tiny leather button-up shoes. Not even she owned shoes that nice! She didn't own any dresses made from satin or laced nightgowns either, the closest she had was a second-hand Kimono she was only allowed to wear for festival days of which there were only three - The day of the village's founding, The Kyuubi festival and the start of Spring (the new year). And it was too big for her. She didn't own any fancy dolls, toy weapons or talking fluffy bears that were bigger than her like Takara did, she only had a handful of cheap plastic, cloth and wooden dolls that used to belong to her cousin and a bunny her mom and granny had made before she was born. She was expected to play outside, help her mom cook, read books, build puzzles or practice her throwing skills. She was going to be a Shinobi after all, just like her parents!

"Sakura, did you get lost!" Her dad called from the kitchen, a bag of vegetables in one hand a bag of old clothes in the other. 

"Coming daddy!" She yelled and grabbed the sweater she had taken off earlier and pulled it back on. The wind was cold enough to chill her to the bone - according to her granny, who sat knitting in the living room. She was watching the stew on the stove for them while they were gone. 

The family of three walked down the street, Sakura clutched her mother's hand with a vice grip once they entered the market district which was busy as per usual. It _was_ Saturday. She had gotten lost once before and she wasn't keen to do it again, just so many square metres of stalls and trampling feet. Thankfully, a kind lady who owned a dumpling stand noticed her and had allowed her to sit with her while an Uchiha police officer located her parents. Which took a total of five minutes, which considering the amount of ground he had to cover and the fact it was the holiday season was very impressive but to Sakura, it might as well have been an eternity. 

"Hey, my little blossom, you see that pile of leaves over there," Her father bent down and whispered in her ear as if it was a huge secret he was telling her, and pointed towards the front of a closed flower shop, "How about we go and jump in it?" 

Sakura gasped, "Daddy!" She giggled as he hoisted her into his arms and he sprinted over to the pile of leaves and softly plopped Sakura into the pile. She proceeded to make a rough impression of an angel in the leaves. Oh, how she loved Autumn! It was also when the Kyuubi festival was, which meant candy and games. But mommy and daddy were sad the whole time, even though they tried to hide it. 

Five minutes later, they were standing in front of a tall rickety building that swayed in the wind. It had been painted a cheerful yellow and was decorated with flowers and trees and on the side of the building, there was a sea. It had been recently painted by two rookie genin teams that had been given service work as punishment for goofing around on a mission. The sound of children echoed throughout the whole street, which made sense as there were mainly orphanages along the road (about six all next to or across from each other.) The streets were the orphans' playground. 

Sakura trudged up the steps, begging this to be over already so she could go home - she was hungry! Plus this place was creepy and there was a weird feeling in the air. She could feel hundreds of eyes on her. Her parents were greeted by a young woman in a grey jumpsuit who looked twenty years older than she was, with streaks of silver in her hair and lines marring her face. The lady led them through the foyer which was barren with cracked white walls, the cracks had tried to be covered by fake plants. It didn't work. 

"Children!" She bellowed once they were in a large lounge sort of area. It was the place where children and prospective parents interacted so there were toys and books stacked in a small cabinet. "Come here now!" She yelled again when there was no sound of movement from upstairs or outside. It startled Sakura. All of sudden a stampede of feet came down the stairs and a group of kids of varying ages hurtled into the room. They were soon joined by another two groups from outside. They all wore long pants and t-shirts, all different colours and only a few had designs on them. Each article of clothing was clearly a hand-me-down but most of them looked well cared for by the children. Very few patches and visible stitches but all worn and faded. 

"Here is the food, just some vegetables from our garden and canned meat. Sorry, it's not more." Mebuki handed the matron the bag which made a wide smile stretch across her face. 

"No, no, it's perfect thank you. If only there were more people as generous as your family in this village." She wiped tears from the corners of her eyes before disappearing into the kitchen. This left a hundred and fifty children staring at them with varying expressions, hope, caution, boredom and anticipation. 

"Hey there kids! Want to see what we got for you this month?" He waved the plastic packets around and smiled brightly at them. Some of them nodded eagerly. He set the bags down the floor and beckoned each child towards him. Kizashi spent weeks gathering clothes and toys from his neighbours and colleagues so that there would be enough to give to the orphanage of their choice each month. There were six orphanages, each stuffed full with children and Konoha's coffers weren't bottomless nor did money grow on trees. The Kyuubi attack had done a number on Konoha's economy which had already been rattled by the 3rd war and it was only now, five years later, that it was starting to pick itself up and profits were coming in. 

Currently, they were visiting the Uzumaki Orphanage, which dealt with children from the ages of one to ten. It had been founded by Senju Mito and it had been the first orphanage in Konoha. Many of the orphans that went on to become a Shinobi adopted the name Uzumaki, to honour the fallen Clan and to possibly hide any surviving children of Uzushio - that was only a theory, however. It probably served that purpose in the past but not today, Uzumaki were practically extinct. 

Sakura bit back an impatient groan while her parents handed out scarves, mittens and jerseys (many that she recognised as her granny's work). She fiddled with the cushion's tassels of the chair she was sitting on so to cure her boredom. Mebuki, noticing her daughter wasn't next to her anymore, called her over with a gesture and a dangerous smile. Sakura practically ran. She stood next to her dad and helped him hand out toys. 

"Next." She called like a cashier in a grocery store, a small boy about her age with corn blond hair was pushed forward by an older girl. He shuffled closer, shooting wary looks at Kizashi, who gave him a soft, warm expression and a red scarf. He looked amazed. It confused Sakura, it was just a scarf, not even a fluffy one at that but a cheap knitted one that Sakura always thought was too uncomfortable and itchy to handle. Her granny had made her a scarf similar to his one last year. The boy then moved over to her.

"Hi, my name is Naruto." He said, looking more at ease now. 

"Haruno Sakura." She responded with a nervous smile and handed him a teddy bear. Which he handled as if it was a sparrow's egg. If it was even possible, his smile doubled in size and his eyes glowed brighter than any gem Sakura had seen in that fancy jewellery store in the upper market district.

As more children came up to her and her parents and their expressions morphed from nervousness or caution into pure joy, she began to enjoy herself. She didn't quite understand why it made her so happy, but now she knew why her parents liked to come to the orphanages so often. It made her wonder why they hadn't forced her to come along much sooner. It was fun, seeing these children being so happy with so little. 

Once their bags were empty, their teacups drained and they were walking home in the twilight Sakura piped up in the silence, "Can I come with you next week?" 

This made her parents beam with pride and they quickly agreed.

**Author's Note:**

> In my mind, Konoha's Shinobi populace and Shinobi populace are separated, maybe not by any actual law but social law and such, birds of a feather flock together. So there are like civilian restaurants and Shinobi restaurants, they're like this because of accessibility and Shinobi probably burn more calories so will need different food. The market district is different, it is in the centre of Konoha, surrounding the Hokage tower, and it's where civilians, foreign merchants and Shinobi converge.
> 
> Sakura is a smart child


End file.
